Many thanks to all participants, both designers and voters. It’s been fun!

Prime Minister's Choice

Thinking of last-minute Christmas presents? Here are two very diverse beauties.

Artful Yarns

Two Texture Pullover

WEB EXCLUSIVE

I first saw this pattern when I was a rep attending an Artful Yarns sales meeting in New England, and it just knocked me out. It's always in the back of my mind as a possibility for any combination of yarns. At 2 sts to 1", you can find something super-thick on its own-- Palace is gone-- or combine yarns you like to taste (this last would be tons of fun and result in a uniquely wonderful piece). Super-fast, super-easy, and way beyond trend.

Danny Ouellette

Traveling Rib Hat

Danny is an absolutely outstanding designer who will not be rushed. So he has only a few patterns, but they're each extraordinary, and marvellously well-written. I love this hat because it's such an elegant use of yarns most everyone probably has in their stashes-- a small amount of a long-repeat worsted weight (10 ply), and a skein of a plain coordinating worsted; the size range is great too. While Ouellette uses a provisional cast on and suggests you graft the brim strip edges together (this is not meant for beginners), a clever and ambitious newbie should have no real problem following his instructions.

Editor's Choice

Knitting at KNoon

SnoBuddy Family

My choice this month is strictly seasonal. It’s inspired by both the most popular Knitting At Knoon pattern on Patternfish and by my favourite eighteen month old. It’s the SnoBuddy Family. Just looking at their photograph starts me giggling and I continue when reading the description, “Mr. and Mrs. Snobuddy take their charming family out for a … what? A wobble?”

I wanted one of these to be a toy for wee Kate so it needed to be washable. But according to the pattern, the ability to wobble is made possible by beans in their bottoms. Let’s not even think about washing those bottoms!

I had to find a bean alternative that was washable, not too large, dense for its weight and not easily swallowed in case an ingenious child managed to get the whole thing open. The ½ cup of beans that Chris recommends for the larger SnoBuddies weighs 3½ ounces. I went off to the hardware store in search of a solution and found nice, thick, dense chain like you would use for a big dog’s line. Perfect!

I wrapped the chain in a thin layer of stuffing, dropped it in, stuffed some more according to the directions, continued knitting to the top of the head and finished stuffing. Success, it wobbles! The only remaining question is, will it be Mr. or Mrs. SnoBuddy?

From the Prime Minister's Desk

Julia Grunau

Julia continues her saga of Patternfish by revealing, at last, where the name came from.

'Patternfish' was about my tenth choice for a name. From the very beginning I had a vision of wearing a bomber jacket with a badge on the shoulder that had a coat of arms on it. (Heraldry is an interest.) Under a shield, chief embattled-- that would have been a great title, Chief Embattled-- the badge would say "Pattern Kingdom" or "Pattern Royalty" or "Pattern Realm" or something similar on it. A dream.

The first problem was that all those domain names were taken. The second was that any time I mentioned any of them as a possibility to anyone whose opinion I respected, their eyes would roll back into their heads and they would make gagging noises. I tried every permutation of the royal theme I could think of, and always met with various versions of "blecch" or "eewwww" and no available domain names, either. Other people's opinions were important here, not mine, since the website would have to appeal to them, not me. I was already a sure thing.

Since the general reaction to the royal theme was unsatisfactory, I ventured outside my dream and tried out other things. At all times I kept in mind that the name should be short, memorable, easy to spell, and give an idea of what the site was about. David Ogilvy's excellent book *Ogilvy on Advertising* recommends making your name into your logo, so that was a goal too.

One day I remembered the Babelfish in the Douglas Adams Hitchhiker 'trilogy' and said "Patternfish" out loud. Greg loved it (but then he would, being a huge Adams fan). So did Phil and everyone else who had read the books, but they were all nerds, and I felt I needed non-nerd support from your average pattern appreciator. Personally I wasn't wild about it.

Jenna Wilson, a wonderful knitwear designer and intellectual property lawyer here in Toronto, landed up casting the deciding vote. We met a few times during the site's gestation and she was a great sounding board. Popular opinion-- I was asking everyone, strangers or not, in bars and streets and sports venues-- was already massively in favour of Patternfish as a name, but I was reluctant to commit. Lunching with Jenna in mid-2006, I recited a list of possible site names:

"Pattern Kingdom, Pattern Realm, Patternfish, Pattern Splendour..."

"Stop," she said suddenly. "Back up. What was that..."

"Patternfish?"-- heart sinking.

"Yes," she said firmly. "That's good." And went back to her salad.

So we were incorporated as Patternfish Inc. in October 2006. My dream of being the queen of pattern downloads was smashed. But people can spell Patternfish, the .com domain was available, our name is our logo, and it's memorable. You can play games with it and joke about how the fishing is, or whether they're biting or not, and people do. I'm happy with it now. At heart, though, I am still the Chief Embattled.

Designer of the Month: Chris de Longpré

One of the great pleasures of editing this newsletter (and reading it, too, I hope!) is learning about the amazing breadth and depth of interests among Patternfish designers. Chris de Longpré, better known under her company name, Knitting At KNoon, is certainly no exception. She and her husband are amateur astronomers and astrophotographers who travel the world to photograph eclipses.

Knitting at KNoon

Timeless Knits for Kids (Size 4-14)

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Another thing about designers; they are frequently talented in many different directions; again, Chris is no exception. A quick scroll through Chris’s first e-book, Timeless Knits for Kids, appearing here for the first time, leaves one simply bowled over by all she does so well: writing poetry and prose, designing knitwear, writing clear and instructive pattern directions, photographing her grandchildren. We’re delighted to be introducing this new e-book with this newsletter.

Three phrases come to mind when looking at Chris’s quite astonishing range of patterns: “funny and fun” for her wonderful toys: “comfortably wearable” for her cardigans, sweaters and vests for adults and children: “sweet classics” for her baby clothes. Read on for more about Chris.

What’s your design process? When designing, I first think of the shape, whether a garment or, more lately, a stuffed toy. Next I need a name for the pattern; I can’t proceed without one. Then I look for suitable yarn. Since much of my business to date has been wholesaling patterns to the trade, I tend to stick with basic yarns that are widely available. After swatching, I need a week or two (sometimes more) to subconsciously mull over the engineering. At some point that process finishes itself and the design just flies off my needles.

Knitting at KNoon

Wee-one Welcome Set

WEB EXCLUSIVE

When did you start designing? When my grandchildren were on the way, I began designing little things for them to wear in their first months. The Wee-one Welcome Set was my first wholesale pattern (in 2003) and it thrills me to know that thousands and thousands of babies have worn a Wee-one Welcome Set home from the hospital.

What inspires you? What are you passionate about? My grandchildren continue to be my biggest inspiration. I have two granddaughters and two grandsons and they often let me know what I should be knitting. They inspired my first book, Timeless Knits for Kids (Size 4-14). I mostly like knitting things that are fun, that make me giggle, like my patterns for stuffed toys.

Knitting at KNoon

Safari Friends

Which is your favourite design? It’s hard for me to identify one favourite, but near the top is Tembo, the elephant from “Safari Friends.”

My customers’ favourite is the “Wrap Me Up” shawl. I was completely surprised by this and still am. I made a rectangular sampler shawl in some discontinued worsted weight yarn from Noro and wore it at The National Needle Arts Market (TNNA) for several years. When retailers asked me for a pattern I thought, “It’s a rectangular shawl. Does it need a pattern?” But I did rework it (in four different worsted weight self-striping yarns) and put the Paint Box version on the runway at the 2007 TNNA Yarn Group fashion show. Also very popular is Wrap Me Up’s little brother, the scarf, made with sock yarn.

Knitting at KNoon

Wrap Me Up

(The Wrap Me Up scarf has been added to the Wrap Me Up Shawl pattern especially for Patternfish customers. If you’ve purchased Wrap Me Up previously, you’ll find an update in your Stash. - -ed.)

When did you learn to knit? I learned to knit from my Mom when I was 11. She also taught me to sew, and for 35 years I honed my designing skills on the sewing machine. I grew up in a rural area, but had fashion magazines to show me what young people were wearing in the cities. With nowhere to purchase clothing like that, I ordered fabric from Sears or JC Penney catalogues, bought notions at the nearest five and dime and went to work designing clothing for myself.

Describe the way you knit. As a knitter I’m a thrower, not a picker (much to the chagrin of many friends who knit much faster than I). I turned to knitting instead of sewing when my daughters were in high school and not interested in wearing handmade anymore. I could take my knitting with me, or knit in the family room – still in touch with activities and family, but always with busy hands. Some of these first efforts were atrocious, but I kept at it.

Tell us about building your business. I’ve concentrated on building my wholesale business and it was more than a full-time job. My pattern company, Knitting At KNoon Designs, is better known than I am as a designer. I do not yet fall into the “celebrity” category of designers, as the first 7 years of my 8-year business plan were spent promoting my company. I recently sent information about my workshop and retreat offerings to my retailers for the first time. I’ve taught three workshops and a Wrap Me Up retreat so far this fall and it’s so much fun to meet the knitters in different shops!

I have at least three more books I would like to publish. Over the next ten years I think my pattern sales will be more on-line and less wholesale, and my time will be devoted to writing books. The wholesale pattern market has definitely dwindled since a high for me in 2009. Luckily this means I am at my desk fewer hours and have more time for teaching and writing. I have a corporate information systems background and am no stranger to the “business” aspects of this job; however, desk and planning time is far less creative than designing, and I prefer to be designing.

Which designers do you admire? My favorite designers are Cat Bordhi, Janel Laidman, Lorilee Beltman, and Cookie A. I’ve had the great pleasure of working with them over the years and their boundless creativity and drive are inspirational to me.

Describe your perfect day. My perfect day is cloudy (so I don’t see the dusting that needs to be done), and starts when I naturally wake up (between 9:00 and 10:00 AM). I settle into my studio to knit and work on designs. My husband answers all phone calls and prepares lunch and dinner for me. I take a brief nap in the afternoon and, after dinner, we watch a movie together. Just lately, I’ve been able to limit my days in the office to two or three each week, so I can have a perfect day quite often.

In what ways do you spend your time that would surprise people? My husband and I are amateur astronomers and astrophotographers and have traveled the world to Curacao, Romania, Zimbabwe, Egypt and China to photograph solar eclipses. We’ll be in northeastern Australia in November 2012.We go exploring, rock collecting, bird watching, and photographing wildflowers and the night sky with great regularity.

I am never bored and there is no subject about which I can say I am not interested. Spontaneity was a learned trait for me, but the portability of my designing life makes it possible for me to pick up and go quite easily.

Where do you think the knitting/crochet/fibre world will be in 10 years? I’ve seen a resurgence of making things. Even sewing, which is no longer economical, is gaining favor. I certainly think this will continue into the next ten years and beyond.

How did you decide to list your designs with Patternfish? Julia Grunau visited my Knitting At KNoon booth at TNNA for two years before I made the decision to sell my patterns on Patternfish. I was initially concerned that selling my patterns on line would compete with my retailers. When I was ready I chose Patternfish because the look and feel of the site is worlds above most others. I appreciate that the pages are not cluttered with ads competing for attention. The PDF watermarking used by Patternfish is not offered elsewhere either and it adds a measure of comfort to selling e-patterns. Patternfish is a nice “family” in which to be included.

Find all of Chris de Longpré's Knitting At KNoon patterns here.

Our Newest Designers and Publishers

We are welcoming 12 new designers this month; nine are launching with knitted designs and three with crocheted designs.

Kat Coyle joins us with Heartswing, a gorgeous design featuring two Estonian stitch patterns. Wear it for dressy drama as a shawl or for cozy warmth as a scarf. Kat has generously written her pattern both line by line and charted.

Tracey Castonguay joins us with her cabled Balmoral Toe Up Sock, excellent for husbands, Castonguay has heard. You don’t actually need to be married to him to make these. Less time commitment and perhaps less curse potential than the boyfriend sweater.

Angela Radzyuk of All for the Love of Yarn debuts with her Neckwarmer Earflap Hat, not just for pint-sized cutie-pies that need to stay warm. Angela was inspired by her children but sized this hat for toddler to adult.

Karen Noe knows what she likes and when she likes a designer’s work executed in her yarn, she often scoops up the pattern for her own label. Maja, a feminine, delicate cardigan with timeless appeal was just such a find.

Caddy Ledbetter’s first Patternfish design, the Hoodless Hoodie, was chosen as one of the top 11 patterns in the 10,000th Design Competition. It’s a cozy looking sweater that could very well become a staple.

Amanda Perkins for The Natural Dye Studio begins with Dorothy, a glamorous bit of cover-up for slight chill but equally attractive over a thin turtleneck for more serious chill. Look at that collar, lovely.

Collection of the Month

We’ve featured lots of fingerless mitts and gloves but hearing this exclamation from designer Deb Gemmell who lives in Orillia, Ontario “I can only wear fingerless gloves for about two weeks a year!” prompted this month’s collection of warmer hand coverings.

One of the very nicest things about mitts and this collection in particular is that you can try out new techniques on a smaller than usual canvas.

Lucy Neatby

Paradoxical Mittens

Fiona Ellis

Woodland Leaves

Glenna C.

Frostbite

Beth Brown-Reinsel

Twined Mittens

Terry Liann Morris

Sideways Gansey Style Mitts & Mittens

Marlaina Bird

Crochet Thrummed Mittens

maddy laine

Frosty Felted Mitts

Megan Lacey

Nordic Diamond Mitts

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Reynolds

Cap & Mittens

WEB EXCLUSIVE

From the Ambassador's Desk

Gayle Clow

Last week, for the first time, I began to teach a friend how to knit. Is it ever hard! I couldn’t tell Barb what to do, I had to show her, and my finger memory disappeared. I couldn’t even make a slip knot while she was watching. And trying to diagnose what went wrong when her stitches looked “funny” was really difficult, too, even at this kindergarten stage.

I’ve taken lots of lessons from great teachers including Lily Chin, Sally Melville, Debby New, Maureen Mason- Jamieson, Annie Modesitt, Lucy Neatby and Fiona Ellis. Now that I’ve made that list I think I should be a better knitter and I should have picked up a thing or two about teaching. No such luck.

My friend Barb and I will persevere. My respect for teachers of all subjects has increased dramatically and that includes my husband, retired from teaching English whose comment on my difficulties was “And you have a willing student”.

Next month I’m going to tell you about a fun, instructive and unforgettable teaching method that Fiona Ellis developed at a Green Mountain Spinnery retreat.